Prof. Fred Gage and his team at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found a new way-using a single protein, known as a transcription factor-to convert cord blood (CB) cells into neuron-like cells that may prove valuable for the…
Category: Research (page 42)
Scientists create musical glove, improves sensation in people with spinal cord injuries
Georgia Tech researchers have created a wireless, musical glove that may improve sensation and motor skills for people with paralyzing spinal cord injury. Read more…
Researchers identify gene that may help protect human nerve cells after injury
In a paper published in Science magazine researchers at the University of Massachusetts have announced that the suppression of the gene dSarm/Sarm1 may prevent nerve death after spinal cord injury. Read more…
Amniotic fluid offers alternative stem cell source
British researchers have announced that stem cells taken from amniotic fluid can be transformed into a more versatile state similar to embryonic stem cells and may offer an alternative to the medically valuable but controversial cells. They have achieved this…
DHA and curcumin preserve walking ability in rats with spinal cord injury
UCLA researchers discovered that a diet enriched with a popular omega-3 fatty acid and an ingredient of curry spice preserved walking ability in rats with spinal cord injury. Published June 26 in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, the findings suggest that…
Transforming fibroblasts into multipotent neural stem cells with a single factor
A team from California has managed to produce neural stem cells from fibroblasts (found in connective tissue) in a single step using the factor Sox2. Implanted iNSCs can survive and integrate in mouse brains and, unlike iPSC-derived NSCs, do not…
Rats walking again after spinal cord injury
Neuroprosthetics and robot rehabilitation wake up the ‘spinal brain’ and restore voluntary movement This breakthrough result from the laboratory of Grégoire Courtine at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EFPL) in Switzerland was published today in Science Magazine. In this study…
Researchers use their ‘noodles’: nanotechnology for regenerative medicine
Dr Samuel Stupp of Northwestern University, Chicago, have been developing nanofibre scaffolds nicknamed ‘noodle gels’. These have the ability to house and direct cells and could be used to tackle an array of regenerative medicine issues including spinal cord regeneration.…
StemCells, Inc. reports positive interim safety data from spinal cord injury trial
StemCells, Inc. has announced completion of the first planned interim safety review of the company’s Phase I/II spinal cord injury clinical trial, which indicated that the surgery, immunosuppression and the cell transplants have been well-tolerated. The trial, which is designed…
Some patients show long term improvement after stem cell therapy
One of the first long-term studies of stem cell treatment for spinal cord injury shows significant functional and other improvements in three out of ten patients. The results support the safety of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from the patient’s…